And There's More... Over the Air

The N-Gage gamers unraveling The Plot could download and install extra
missions over the air. This amounted to a fair deal of network access even for
players who only were interested in the single-player games. The greatest buzz
on downloadables began when the game proceeded to the stage at which players
first discovered the in-game helpers. They were given a chance to download over
the air supernatural boosters for their player character: SuperIntelligence,
SuperSpeed, and SuperStrength.

For a few weeks, every N-Gage gamer was furiously looking for these game
aids. Not only did they make great power-ups in BlastPlots, but they also proved
to be necessary in some of the latest puzzle missions. Web sites and chat forums
were filled with discussions, hints, and tips on where in the game levels these
boosters could be found. All the boosters were gradually mapped out, after which
it was relatively easy to collect them all until one day, one of the
players accidentally noticed The Plot SuperVision link on his favorite WAP
service, the public transport route finder....

The OTA (over the air) download mechanism is used when N-Gage games are
updated and enhanced with a direct, wireless download. OTA was first presented
as a download process when Sun Microsystems released the recommended practice of
user-initiated downloads for Java MIDlets in 2001. WAP protocol made it possible
to retrieve data from Internet servers. Previously, content had been pushed
using messaging, which was not very convenient given the limited amount of data
and the delays in delivery. Downloading is more efficient because it uses a data
connection as the bearer. It has been adopted for various kinds of content
supported by the phones, including the now-usual MIDI ringing tones, phone
wallpapers, game levels, and so on.

There are several ways to initiate the download. For native N-Gage games, the
download of extra features might be built into the game since networking is a
basic service available for applications. If any extra charge is associated with
the download, confirmation can be requested from the user before proceeding with
the download.

Another way to initiate the download process is to use a WAP browser for searching
and selecting an appropriate item to be installed (see Figure
3.2). When a link in a WAP page is clicked, phones with the OTA capability
can automatically download and install the item into the phone. This process
typically is used for downloading Java games and phone enhancements, such as
ringing tones and color wallpapers, on WAP sites.

OTA download servers can be developed and maintained independently because
the communication between a phone and the server is based on open
specifications. To download games and other content over the air, the mobile
subscriber needs to have data access provided by the carrier. OTA download is an
interesting opportunity for application developers, and there are likely to be
several out-of-the-box solutions providing software for game-download
services.

The biggest issue for OTA distribution and the delivery of games and related
products is the payment transaction. Today, there are two alternatives: revenue
sharing deals with the carriers or a direct agreement with the game players.

If a revenue-sharing deal with a carrier is signed, text messages are used
to initiate the download process. This way, the carrier is able to charge a
premium price for the text message and share the revenue with a game developer
or publisher. Text messageinitiated downloads are interesting because
games and extra services can be advertised via TV, magazines, the Internet,
or newspapers. When a customer sees the ad, he can order the product by sending
a message to a premium number (see Figure
3.3), just as he might type in a URL on a computer. The game or application
is downloaded after the user provides confirmation.

Individual game developers and publishers also have another option: to make a
direct agreement with the gamer. Both prepaid accounts and monthly billing can
be used to collect revenue. Of course, in this case, the game provider needs to
have its own invoicing, payment processing, and customer care in place. This
system needs to be able to handle potentially large numbers of customers
efficiently. Therefore, for most mobile games providers, partnering with a
carrier has been the preferred choice.